superzoom and primes...

mastertrinity

mastertrinity

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Luke
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lately ive been writing a list on gear that i need and came across a small dilemma.

i love primes and i have wrote down the sony 30mm f2.8 macro, 50mm f1.8 and tamron 90mm f2.8 macro. however i realise that i could do with some zoom(s) to get a decent 18-200mm focal length when IQ isnt neccessary or for example if im on holiday or took my camera to a friends/relatives wedding to get a few shots. i originally decided on getting a tamron 28-75mm and tamron 70-200mm but i noticed that using wide aperture primes theres no need for wide aperture zooms, so would a superzoom such as the tamron 18-200mm seen below be better than an 18-55mm and 55-200mm kit lens:

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/27513/show.html
 
The super zooms will always be a compromise for sure but having got one myself (sony SAL18250) I think it is a worthy one, I tend to use mine as a stock lens and carry the more specialised lens in my bag ready for when needed, the biggest draw back I find is that the 18 250 is so slow.
A couple of examples for you





Both clickable.
 
cheers ian, the speed of the lens doesnt really bother me as i expect that from a superzoom and to be honest it cant be slower than the kit lenses. i am very tempted in buying one for the same reason as you, using it as a "stock" lens where it could be used for general photography and then my primes could be used for more specialised tasks.
 
Personally I'm not that keen, but I can see why they would be useful to some people in some situations. I usually am carrying a bag with me when I'm out doing pretty much anything, so it's not too much hassle to put an extra lens in there.

Failing that, I take my crumpler bag and use a few of the bits for camera stuff, and the others for keys, wallet, sunglasses, phone etc etc.

I almost always have a 17-50 and a 70-200 with me, then the other compartments are filled with either my other stuff, or a UWA, fast prime, macro lens etc depending on what I'm shooting.

So my advice would be to get a discreet-ish bag you could have with you and use for other stuff too, or if that's really not an option, a superzoom might do you wonders!

Chris
 
My lens lineup is pretty much as I want it and consists of fast primes and zooms but I bought a Pentax 18-250mm purely because I don't want to lug a load of lenses around on holiday. The 18-200mm and 28-300mm are both a bit below average imo but the 18-250mm (which is made by Tamron, same as the Sony?) is actually pretty reasonable .. if rather slow.
 
a superzoom for me is an unusual choice as i always hated them but while i want a prime lens set up i thought that a superzoom might be useful for basic situations however i still am thinking of purchasing a sony 18-55mm kit lens to go with my 55-200mm but i wonder what would be better optically, a tamron 18-200mm superzoom or the two kit lenses?

remember that the zoom(s) is only for a bit of flexibility as any dedicated work for me is "prime" time.
 
Used to have the Tamron 18-270mm and while IQ was fine, the biggest problem was that it took an age to lock focus on something......often too late for the shot! This was the decider and i replaced it with an 18-70 and a 70-300VR.....way quicker to focus than the Tammy and much happier with them. Changing the lens is not really a problem......so I must admit I dont miss the Superzoom.
 
I got a quantaray (usa sigma) 24mm f2.8,minolta 50mm f1.7 , the classic minolta 35-105 f3.5-4.5 for a walkabout and a tokina 70 -210 f4-5.6 all cheap as chips with some excellent results and most avenues covered ,have a look on http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/forums.html for lenses and they have an excellent lens review section for more ideas like the old 70-210 minolta "beercan "
must say the primes are excellent on my A300

Dave
:D:D:D:D
 
i agree with you on the 50mm david its a beauty, i am going to sell it once i can afford the sony 50mm f1.4 however its doing me perfect for now, i am tempted to scour eBay in search for some minolta zooms, i hear the 35-70mm f4 is meant to be good.
 
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